End of the year...

I have been really busy since that last post....and we have all been sick. I was sick on Christmas eve til the day after Christmas (I still have a migraine, actually). Cassie was sick Christmas eve, Lino was sick the weekend after Christmas, and Maggie has been sick since yesterday. Blah. I am ready for us to be healthy!

Despite all of that, the kids really enjoyed Christmas. Santa brought them lots of new things. Lots of Sleeping Beauty for Cassie, Tinkerbell and Diego for Maggie and Stickers (Lightning McQueen) for Nate. I have no idea where we are going to put it all. In fact, due to my migraine issues, most of it is still around the tree.

I sewed a total of 10 tote bags...1 for a friend, 3 for teachers/principal, and 6 for Lino's mom, aunt and cousins. I forgot to take pictures of the cousins bags. I broke plenty of sewing needles, found a new place to get twill tape and poked my fingers more times than I care to remember. (It is nearly impossible for me to sew with bandaids on, and I can't use thimbles....) I got a thank you note in the mail today from the principal, she really likes hers, and all of the cousins seemed to like theirs. Yay.

I was able to get the family jammies done, and am pleased with how they turned out. Eight yards of red flannel, 5 white tshirts, 5 yards of white fuzzy trim, elastic and drawstring. Easy peasy. I might even try doing some for Etsy next year. Nice simple design that I can do in some common sizes ahead of time.....we'll see.

Nate is doing great with no more Mama drinks. It went much easier than I thought. He still needs either me or Lino to lay down with him til he falls asleep, but we expected that. No tears at all about stopping nursing, so that made it a whole lot easier.

I hope everyone has a super safe New Year's Eve, and a very blessed 2009. I tend to not make resolutions, because it seems as though I never keep them, but I do hope to 'stress less' next year. Enjoy all of the little things, and not be so anxious. (I do worry a lot, and it isn't good.)

Merry New Year!

9 days left til Christmas!

I still have 10 tote bags to make (the embroidery machine is going as I type!). I have the fabric cut out for some, will cut the rest later. I think if I prep as much as I can, it shouldn't be too stressful. Though, I need to have 3 of them finished by Thursday. I also cut the fabric for jammie pants for our hliday tradition. They go together fairly easily, so that shouldn't be too stressful.

We still have to figure out what to get my dad for Christmas. I just don't know. He is a Yankees fan, but that seems to be our last resort theme for birthdays/Christmas. Not enough time to do a photobook (which I wanted to do for his birthday, so I can make it really nice) He has a digital camera and nice printer, so a little portable photo printer is out. We've done a fun snack basket before. He doesn't do chocolate. He has a Playstation that we (my sister and us) got him a few years ago. I don't know how often he does that anymore. He is colorblind, so that lets out fun little games....it is stressful. I want to do something he will like, but just have no idea.

This Saturday is the last of our gift wrapping fundraising dates. At the first PTO meeting I attended, they talked about various fundraisers, and also mentioned that the library just needs help. There are books that are so old, pages fall out when they are opened. Numerous shelves are empty. Well, when I heard that, I started thinking. Childrens books are my 'thing'. I just love them. Books have always been a big part of my life, my mom was an elementary school librarian. So I feel very connected to libraries.

I came up with the idea of contacting Borders bookstore in our area to see about charity giftwrapping. The manager at the store closest to us gave me a complete brushoff. So, I called the store in a city about 10 minutes away. The coordinator at that store was super friendly, and set us up with 3 dates! Borders supplies the wrapping paper, table, tape, and scissors, we just need to bring bows, tags and donation buckets, and we keep anything we raise.

Our first date was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It wasn't too busy, as far as wrapping goes, we did maybe 7 things. We still collected $170! Not bad for 5 hours of mostly people watching. We had our 2nd date last Saturday, and we were much busier wrapping, and collected $282! I think that is fantastic. One more day to go. I am hoping that we can do $300-350. Wouldn't that be great? This is free money for the library.....I am so excited.

The kids are super excited about Santa coming. Santa needs to have his elves start wrapping things. I am excited to see their reactions this year.

Nate is adjusting to 'no more drinks' happening soon. There have been some nights when he has fallen asleep on the couch, and doesn't do any. He is also sleeping through the night now with more regularity, and if he does wake, he usually will settle himself back to sleep. (Those first few nights of no more middle of the night drinks were hard....) He also talks about when he will need to stop altogether.

Yay, the first bag embroidery is done....9 to go!

Viruses and dents, oh my

It has been busy. On Saturday we brought the kids to my dad's so they could help him put up his Christmas decorations. It also gave us the chance to run our big errands. About 9 hours later we picked up the kids, but I think we were very successful. More importantly, the kids didn't give my dad any trouble at all, he said they were great all day, which is a relief. They do have fun when they see him.

The rest of the weekend was spent battling computer viruses and malware ads. I have been going to Baby Center since the girls were little, and have made some friends on the March board. Well, the powers that be at Babycenter have bought another online community and have been working to switch over since spring.

About a month ago or so, the 'old boards' was apparently hijacked by pretty malicious viruses, and it was only after some members complained that they started to do anything about it. We got hit with Antivirus 2009. It is persistent...really hard to get rid of. Well, this weekend, I went to check the March board and Bargain board, and almost immediately after logging onto the bargain board, our computer was attacked. I get that it is the computer owner's responsibility to have virus protection software, however, this is a major company (Johnson and Johnson owns Babycenter), they should be able to prevent it from lurking on their site. But, they are closing the old boards in a week, so they apparently aren't focusing on it at all.

I ran our AVG scan no less than 4 times on Sunday, and again yesterday. It seemed to be better, except for some takeover ads. Lino ran adaware last night, there were 20 malware things....

No more old boards for me... :( . Maybe once we get the computer all set I can check in on the new boards. I really enjoy staying in touch with my March mom friends. We have a group on Facebook, and I hope that they all check in there, and there are blogs that I follow, so I won't lose touch completely. I just don't love the new Baby center boards, and if they are going to be a target for viruses, I can't go there.

As for the dent....on Sunday Lino was headed outside to return a movie (Wall E, which was super cute, by the way!) when the son of our across the street neighbor came to the door. Now, keep in mind, that in the 5 1/2 years that we have been living here, we haven't ever really spoken with him. He will maybe wave when he comes to visit, but his dad hasn't ever really talked with us. The grandmother lives there, and she will come over once in a while when we are outside, but she is only comfortable speaking Portuguese, so I can't really talk with her.

Anyhow, the son comes to the door. Apparently when he was backing his very large pickup truck out of his dad's driveway, he was too busy talking on his cell phone to notice that Lino's car was parked in front of our house. He told Lino that he hit it, and 'hopefully the scratch will buff out'.

It isn't a scratch...it is a major dent!! I guess he told Lino to get an estimate and that he would pay for it, but Lino is ticked. It isn't going to be a quick little fix, the dent needs to be popped back and then the whole rear quarter panel will need painting.....so the guy is going to need to get Lino a rental. Lino can't take time off from work, and with the girls in school, I can't not have the car, in case I need to go get them.

So, now Lino needs to spend part of his day off on Thursday at the mechanics. Hopefully the neighbor's son doesn't try to skip out of paying for the damage. Lino is willing to wait until after Christmas, we realize that money can be stretched at the holidays (he has a wife/girlfriend and a daughter). He needs to fix it though.

Sigh. Lots of sewing to do still, the tree needs to go up (which I wanted to do on Thursday, because we have school stuff Friday night and Saturday, and Lino works on Sundays).....

Weaning is going okay. Nate still does drinks at bedtime, but he has slept straight through the night for nearly a week now. That is good. He seems to be a little clingy some days, though, which is to be expected, I guess.

Anyhow. I think I need another chocolate milk.....

Cassie's New Look

Doesn't she look adorable? She has been saying for a couple of months now that her eyes are 'kind of foggy' when she looks at things. At first, I wasn't sure if she meant it, because she didn't really act as though she was having trouble seeing. However, I called to make the appointment when I noticed she would stand right next to the tv to watch and still said her eyes were foggy when she tried to look at things.

We had the appointment yesterday. Lino went into the exam room with her. Apparently she has astigmatism in both eyes, and she is farsighted. She was very brave when the doctor put the drops in her eyes, and patient while we waited for them to work. The doctor told Lino that the prescription she gave her isn't full strength, I guess that if she gave her the full strength, it would be too much for her eyes. So we go back in three months to recheck.

We were all very excited that they had those pink frames. They are perfect for her. She wasn't sad at all about needing glasses, and picked that shirt today because it matched her frames!

Stuff

Three weeks or so until Christmas. Lots to do. We still have to do some sort of Christmas card picture. Then, order and send cards. I would love to do Holiday Mail for Heroes. So I need to get some boxes of cards for that.

Family jammies. I have the fabric and shirts, now I just need to make them. Maybe by this weekend those will be done.

Set up the Christmas tree. In order to do that I have to take control of the chaos that seems to always control the house. Hopefully I can get the upstairs 'tree ready' by the end of the week, so we can assemble and decorate the tree Friday/Saturday.

Making Christmas gifties...I am thinking of doing those canvas tote bags. But what to embroider on them? I like the recycle earth design, but will the recipients? Would a monogram be better? the last name initial? Or some fun phrase, like: go green; reduce reuse recycle; big green bag (the canvas I have is natural and black) .....

I also want to make some stuffed bears to donate to an area shelter for victims of sexual assault. But, that can't be first on my sewing list, that will be if I have extra time...

There is just a bunch going on, my mind is always racing, and it gets me down...so trying to put on a cheerful face, too.

i miss my mom and my aunt......

Monday musings

I think the cold/sickness that has been in the house for the past 3 weeks or so seems to be clearing up. Poor Nate was sick for the whole week before Thanksgiving and only on Friday started to feel better. We ate our Thanksgiving meal at Lino's parents house, and then went ot my dad's for dessert

On Saturday, we did the first of 3 PTO fundraising dates at Borders. We have the opportunity to man the gift wrapping table and have donation buckets. Our first shift went well. We wrapped maybe 7 things, but raised $170.38! Isn't that amazing? I found it very interesting, all the different people who would walk by and put money in the buckets that the kids were holding. There were also people who would double back to donate after hearing our cause, to put books on the empty shelves at our library. We have 2 more dates, the 13th and 20th of this month, and I am very hopeful that we will raise as much if not more each time!

After the fundraising, we met with some cousins who were up from New York. We went to go see the Christmas lights at LaSallette Shrine. I took a bunch of pictures using the night mode, but not that many turned out. I will have to post some in a bit. It was fun though, hanging out and we are excited to see them again at Christmas.

I have begun night weaning Nate. He is not happy at all about it, either. Poor little guy. I just figured that I need to start stopping the middle of the night drinks, so by the time Santa comes, stopping the falling asleep one shouldn't be as difficult. I feel so bad, when he is crying and screaming....but, I am sticking to it, I am mostly(98%) ready to be done, so it is time. :(



I need to start jotting down what I want to post about. I know I had other stuff to mention, I am drawing a blank right now, though.

Anyhow. Happy December.

Is Santa missing some reindeer?

I think Santa may be missing some reindeer. We found them. Hiding Transformer style in our driveway.

Nate got a big kick out of the Reindeer Car costumes that Lino brought home yesterday. Lino had seen these a few Christmases ago, but only now found them in a store.



So, the Big Red Car has been renamed the Big Red Reindeer for the next month or so.





Nate has taken to hiding under his or the girls' beds when he is sad/mad etc. Yesterday we were getting ready to go shopping and Nate wasn't in the living room with Lino. He wasn't in the bedroom with Maggie and Cassie. So Maggie checked under the bunkbeds, no Nate. Lino checked under Nate's bed. He was there. Asleep.

I don't think he had been under there too long. I am glad he hadn't gotten undressed, though. The floor was cold! You can see Maggie in the background...she crawled under to try and wake him up.

Speaking of Christmas, I have added some Christmas songs to my blog. Lino made fun of me, he thinks most of the versions are terrible. (And he likes Christmas music. He is already listening to the 24 hour Christmas music radio station....)

I love Christmas music. Really love it. Even the really religious ones sound really pretty. I have different versions of songs up there, and am trying to find more. I really like the Little Drummer Boy. Not sure why. I also like the silly ones. I am still looking for Domenic the Christmas Donkey.

The one song you won't ever hear on my playlist though is "The Christmas Shoes" (I don't even know if that is the right title). I just know it is quite possibly the saddest/worst Christmas song ever. I heard it for the first time the year my mom passed away, I was crying my eyes out about a minute into it and made Lino change the station. I can appreciate the sentiment of the song, but I won't listen to it.

Some sewing!

A few months ago I got a recyclable shopping bag from Target. It was free, a coupon I had filled out. For a free bag, it is pretty nice, canvas (with a big Target symbol embroidered on it), pretty sturdy. I try to remember to take it and another smaller bag with me when we go shopping. (I don't even worry about it being a Target bag at other stores)

Well, the first thing that we said when we got it was "I can make this". I have had the canvas for at least a month now, and finally cut the pieces and put them together. It was my first attempt, and I like it, although, there are a couple of things I would do differently. (I will definitely make more for us and maybe as gifts)

It is a pretty big bag. I don't know how it came out taller than the Target bag, I measured the Target one pretty well. As for the embroidery, I love how it came out, and think it is cute. I did the bag with french seams, which is when you sew the fabric so there aren't any raw edges showing. I did it so the seams would be on the inside. I think the next time, I will do it so they are on the outside. The Target bag has binding over the seams, on the outside, (which would have been faster, but I didn't have any and didn't want to wait to get some!) I don't know if I would use grommets. They seem to be just for looks, and not function.

Today I had the idea to make reusable baggies for the girls' snacks for school. I went to classroom observation on Monday, and while the parents were there, the kids ate snack. Well, if the kids can't open their stuff, the teacher and assistant have to do it, and if you have 20 little kids needing help, that doesn't allow a bunch of time to eat. So, I know now, to send snack in bags/containers the girls can do without help.

This morning, we did little ziplock bags. Both Maggie and Cassie told me they had trouble zipping them shut. And, that is when I thought of doing our own bags. Less work for the teacher, and good for the planet, too!

The purple one was my test one. Very easy to do and I did the french seams on the inside. It sewed up pretty quickly. Approximately 6 inches square. Velcro across the top to close it. The princess one I did for Cassie. That one is a bit bigger, maybe 7 inches square. Also with the french seams and velcro. The purple one is one long piece folded and sewn on 2 sides. Cassie wanted Sleeping Beauty on both sides, which is why it is bigger. Hers is sewn on 3 sides, as I had to cut the fabric differently.


I am definitely going to do more, I just ran out of velcro. I need to go to Joanns anyway, I broke 2 sewing needles doing the canvas bag. We also need to pick out fabric for our family Christmas jammies.

My migraines are good for me.....

According to an article that I read yesterday, migraines are a good thing.


"We found that, overall, women who had a history of migraines had a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who did not have a history of such headaches," said Dr. Christopher Li of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, whose findings appear in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

I will have to remember the next time that it feels as though my head may explode due to the raging, blinding pain and accompanying nausea.

It is also thought that breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer.

Much of the research shows that the longer a woman breastfeeds the more protected she is against breast cancer. This information takes on special significance during October which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Early detection remains the best tool in the arsenal of breast cancer cure. Women today are also looking for preventive measures. Increasing the duration of breastfeeding an additional six months would prevent an estimated 25,000 breast cancers in Western populations where breast cancer is most prevalent.

Should I feel extra protected? I have been breastfeeding since March 2003 and have suffered migraines since the early 90's.

I know that nothing is ever a guarrantee, but if there is any truth to those studies, I guess I can live with the migraines.

Yes We Can

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.


From President-Elect Obama's speech on Election Night. I thought the whole speech was excellent, and if you click on the above you can get the transcript of the whole thing. I feel a sense of relief, that things will get better. Hopeful. I stayed up much too late last night, but am glad I did.

I thought that John McCain's speech was gracious. However, how else would he (could he) have conceeded? Of course he was going to be gracious. I just hope that his supporters will take his words to heart, as we all work together to better our country. I liked JohnMcCain back in the 2000 election, I voted for him then. However, this time, he just seemed really, really angry. I would like to see the 'old' McCain again, working in the Senate.

Election Day!

School was closed today, so after the kids ate breakfast we got dressed and walked to our polling place. It was great weather for a walk, and the poll wasn't crowded at all when we got there.

We checked in and the kids picked a booth. I voted for the candidates I believe in, made decisions on local ballot questions and then we submitted my ballot. It was number 208, and that was around 9:10 am or so.

The lady at the scanning machine gave Maggie, Cassie, Nate and I our 'I Voted' stickers. The kids were excited. Then she gave Nate's yellow bear a sticker, too. Yellow Bear wasn't saying who he voted for, though. :)

Lino just called and he is done voting, he went straight from work. During elections, the parking lot right in front of the doors is usually full of candidates and supporters doing last minute campaigning.

At the primary, I felt pressured by a candidate who had a supporter approach me at the door speaking onlyPortuguese to me. Our neighborhood is primarily Portuguese, the polling place is at a church that has a large Portuguese congregation. However, don't assume that I don't speak English. Don't harass me as I walk in to vote.

I called the Secretary of State's office when I got home that day, and he told me by law, candidates, etc are required to be at least 50 feet away from the door. He said if not, report them to a poll worker next time.

Well, when Lino drove in, the main parking lot had supporters, etc. When he parked near the door, he was near a guy who was campaigning, less than 50 feet from the door. He tried to give Lino pamphlets, and when Lino declined, stating that he couldn't evn be that close, the guy was all "Says who?"

Lino stopped in his tracks and told him it was the law. He also told the guy that his candidate just lost a vote. When Lino left the building, he said the guys truck and signs were still parked, but the guy was in a chair far away from the door.

Good for him.

Now we wait for results. I am sure we will be flipping channels, but I like NBC, so we will watch that mostly.

Hope you all voted!

A Woman's Right to Vote

WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE


This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.
Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.


Some were abused horribly for trying to gain that right.

These women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.



Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.


And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'


They beat Lucy Burns ( pictured in prison above), chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging! All through the night, bleeding and gasping for air.



They hurled Dora Lewis (above) into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul (above), embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf

So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because- -why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?

*******
The above was in an email that my sister sent me. Women have had the right to vote for less than 100 years! I can't imagine not being able to speak my opinion about something, or being told that I am not important becasue I am a woman. Sure, I have encountered the occasional chauvinist, but to endure that on a daily basis, wow. I am grateful that those women had the courage to stand for what they believed in.



A movie by HBO Films, Iron Jawed Jewels

A wiki entry on Women's Right to Vote

The Nineteenth ammendment to the Constitution of the United States of America:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.



Have you tuned in for the last 2 years? The election is tomorrow......Vote. We have the right, it would be such a waste to not use it.

Halloween fun

The kids had so much fun on Halloween. It was great to see them so excited. I was able to finish the costumes and was very pleased with how they came out.

The dinosaur (in Maggie's favorite colors) is purple waffle fleece with a green poly blend belly and spines. The pattern instructions weren't terribly clear when it came to the feet, and I lost a lot of sewing time trying to figure them out. I moved on to other parts figuring that the next day maybe it would become clearer. (Lino was able to help me figure them out). If I ever do another dinosaur, I know things that I would do differently, but overall, I liked it and Maggie loved it, which was good.


Nate's tiger costume is a jersey (cotton) print with orange fleece belly and ribbed knit for the cuffs. His was from a pattern by Simplicity, Costumes for Dummies. Those instructions weren't terribly thorough, and if I were a complete beginner, I wouldn't have known how to do some of the steps (it just skipped some parts completely!) If I ever do that hat pattern again, I will do the ears differently. They wound up being hand sewn on (I really dislike handsewing! I am just not neat with it....) But, the hat is cute, and Nate loved it. (I am actually thinking of making him some animal jammies, using this pattern as a guide!


Side view.

Back view, tails and wings. Maggie's tail is quite heavy! it dragged on the ground. Lino tried to wire it, but the wire was kind of pokey, and we didn't want Maggie to get scraped. The tail held up well, though, from all the walking, it still looks good.

At the neighbors house. They looked so cute walking down the street! I guess there were a few people who asked if Maggie was Barney. (she wasn't, purple and green are her favorite colors). Lino was able to deflect it by telling Maggie that they must not know as much about dinosaurs as she does. She agreed with him.....

Lino and Nate took this one. It was kind of cool that night, and Maggie was plenty warm in her fleece, Nate was double layered, but Cassie was kind of chilly by the time they got home! (though when Lino asked her while they were out she was fine! ) We did add a long sleeve tshirt to Cassie's for warmth. I had offered to make her costume, once I saw what it looked like, but she fell in love with the store bought one. It is very thin though, and I will probably wind up reconstructing it at some point.

Nate was a bit disappointed that Maggie and Cassie were taking mini cupcakes to school for a party and the cupcakes wouldn't come home. When I went out to get Halloween candy I picked up some cupcakes so we could have some, too. He was extremely excited, he loves cupcakes!

Because of Cassie's allergy, the candy we pass out is completely peanut/tree nut free/safe. She likes to help pass out candy, too. We also buy candy just for the kids, to trade with them when they get home. I filled an entire gallon bag with unsafe candy! (I did eat 2 Reese's peanut butter cups after the kids went to bed....it has been a long time since I have had any...and felt really guilty for eating them....) I sent the 'bag of death' to work with Lino today, to leave on the break room table.

It was a good Halloween. Next year, if they want me to make costumes, I will start earlier than a week before!

New Vote PSA

Happy Tuesday.

Well, last week Maggie and Nate decided that they wanted to be a dinosaur and a tiger for Halloween. They saw some sewing patterns that I have, and made up their minds on the spot. Cassie has wanted to be Barbie Mariposa for about a year now, and was confident we could find one in the store.

After the girls got on the bus last Thursday, Nate, Lino and I headed to the fabric store. We found some great deals on fleece and striped fabric. (around $20 for all of it) Saturday we went looking for Cassie's costume. Lino discovered 2 different Mariposa's in the aisle, miraculously both in her size;and they were the only 2 left! Cassie fell in love with one of them, so that solves that.

Head to Target for sparkly pink shoes and then home. Cassie tries on her costume, as soon as she takes it off, it starts to rip. I am pretty confident that I can fix it, but I also offered to make her one, too, now that I know what Mariposa looks like. She wants no part of it. She adores the store bought one, so I will get it all fixed up for Halloween.

I had traced/cut out the patterns and started sewing the dinosaur on Sunday. Made some good progress. The feet had me a bit confused, but Monday I took some time to really figure it out. The instructions weren't super clear, so I was confused on some of the steps. Now that I figured it out, it makes perfect sense! Now I just have to decipher how they say to attach the feet to the legs!

Unfortunately, it took longer than I expected to do the feet, and I am a bit behind. No worries, though, I have 3 days to get them done!

I think when the dinosaur is finished it will look super cute. Maggie tried some of it on so I could measure cuffs, she loves it. She picked the colors, purple body and green spines. I just hope she isn't called Barney all night long!

***
Yay for the Patriots for holding on and winning! They are faring okay this season, despite all the injuries that have occured.

One word answers

Lanny tagged me.

The rules are to answer the following questions in one word and then pass it on to seven others:

Where is your cell phone? N/A (I don't have one)
Where is your significant other? Work
Your hair color? Brown
Your mother? Heaven
Your father? Home
Your favorite thing? family (mine)
Your dream last night? N/A (don't remember)
Your dream/goal? author
The room you’re in? familyroom
Your hobby? Sewing
Your fear? death
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Disneyworld
Where were you last night? Home
What you’re not? Mean
One of your wish-list items? Serger
Where you grew up? Massachusetts
Last thing you did? busstop
What are you wearing? jeans/sweatshirt
Your TV? on
Your pet? cats
Your computer? Desktop
Your mood? okay
Missing someone? Always
Your car? Minivan
Something you’re not wearing? socks
Favorite store? Joanns
Your summer? Warm
Love someone? Yes
Your favorite color? Teal
When is the last time you laughed? 7:30
Last time you cried? Oct 14/15


Hmm...tagging 7 people.....Leia, Dawn,Lori, Melissa, Emily,Doreen, Katie. HOpefully they will play too!

Love and other things

Super excited that the Pats could come back from their loss last week to a win over Denver this week. Not the smoothest game to watch, but the plays they got right were nice.

Lino's car needs an alternator. Friday he was on his way to work and only got about a half mile away when the car died at a stop light. Luckily he was able to get it started again to turn around and come home. It died close to our street, and he was able to coast down the hill to get the car home. The kids were surprised when we left for the bus that the 'Big Red Car' was gone and Papa's was home. So, called the tow truck today and off it goes to the mechanics....again.....

~~~

This is something that has been in the news for a while. Massachusetts approved gay marriage in 2004, California approved it over the summer. Connecticut recently approved it as well. I read this story last night, that Sarah Palin has broken from the McCain camp about her views on gay marriage.

I just don't understand why there are people who are so against allowing gay people to 'marry', why there are some who feel so threatened by it. I don't feel as though my marriage to Lino is diminished in any way by having my gay friends legally able to marry. In fact, I feel that the whole idea of love and marriage is strengthened, the more people that do marry.

Love is such a gift-such a blessing, that if two consenting adults find that, then they should be allowed to spend their lives married to each other.

I mean, wasn't there a time in our history when the very idea of interracial marriage caused people to react in the same way? Again, if two people are in love, color shouldn't matter. And it doesn't.

So why is gay marriage such a 'threat'? For those that do oppose, why is a civil union okay, but not marriage? (civil unions aren't the same thing, they don't offer the same protections that marriage does)

I really don't understand it. This past summer, when California legalized same sex marriage, one of the first couples to marry were two women who were in their 80's. They had been together for 55 years. 55 years! And only this summer allowed to marry. One of the women passed away shortly after that. I was so happy for them, though that at least she lived long enough to see her love be affirmed and be allowed to marry.

If loving someone for 55 years isn't a true testament to true love, I don't know what is. There are many hetero couples who marry and don't last nearly that long.

Anyhow. I read the news about Sarah Palin last night, and I sighed. Really. The Governor scares me much more than the idea of gay marriage.

School Pictures!

Maggie and Cassie came home with school pictures today. I was super excited! The class picture wasn't included, I guess that will come after Retake day, so all the kids can be in it. I thought that was nice.

I am very pleased with how they came out. The pictures scanned a bit darker, you can see all the pigtails in the actual pictures.

♥♥♥ 65 ♥♥♥

Today is my mom's birthday. She would have been 65. I don't know how old she was in that picture, I am guessing 3 or 4. I look at it and can see a bit of Maggie, a bit of Cassie and a bit of Nate, too. I am glad for that.


My mom was great. As a teenager, I probably would have rolled my eyes and been all, whatever, but she really was. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to be friends with her as well as her daughter. Now that I am a mom, I look back at different things and think, Wow, she was just so good at being a mom.

She loved her family. She took such pride in us, if we had an achievement she would just beam. She was always our biggest cheerleaders, really rooting for us to succeed, and so proud when we did. She was also the first with a hug or comforting word if things didn't work out. And would get angry on our behalf at whatever made us mad/sad.

She loved books and reading, she worked in an elementary school library for at least 10 years. She was technically an aide, as she didn't have the college degree, but she ran that library better than anyone...knew where everything was, knew which books the kids would like, and loved doing story times.

She loved movies that were so bad they were funny. She loved Elvis. She had quite a collection of Elvis records, and even got to see him at one of his last shows. She bought my Aunt tickets, under the condition that she take my mom and that my Aunt drove into Providence. (My mom wasn't a fan of driving, especially on the highway. She could find back roads to anywhere.)

So the day of the Elvis concert, my mom was out running errands before the show. Well, Uncle Ralph was a police officer, and knew that my mom and Aunt Barbara had the concert that evening. So he sees her out driving, and to be funny, pulls her over. (I can only imagine how horrified my mom was to be stopped by a cop!) He gets out of the car with his sunglasses and hat on. Well, when she realized that it was my uncle, she got so mad she just drove away! (I wonder what people who saw thought!) "Oh that Ralph" she would say-all mad, when the story was retold.

She loved to laugh, and I was usually good at making her laugh. She would only ride on ferris wheels with me, apparently my shaking the cart to tease her helped ease her fears.

I miss her immensely. I think of her every single day. I wish I had her wisdom and patience. I wish she were here, giving me an 'atta girl' and loving my kids. I think she would have enjoyed them to bits. I hope so.

Happy Birthday, mom.

Quick assumptions

We had a rough start to our morning today. Cassie stayed in bed a bit longer, which made breakfast take longer so we came down to the wire getting hair brushed and sneakers on for her.

Nate also slept later. He still gets up usually once between going to bed and the alarm clock. We are down to nursing at bedtime and I will nurse him when it is still 'sleep time'. If he doesn't fall back to sleep, then I have to let him know when it is almost time to stop. (Otherwise he could nurse for hours and be fine, but that doesn't work for getting ready for school)

Well, he came into bed with me to snuggy, so I could turn off the alarm when it went off. (Lino was leaving for work). Nate fussed a bit, but is getting used to no drinks/just snuggies. At one point he rolled over and cried that his neck hurt. Well, he finally went back to sleep, and I waited til the last minute to get him ready to go. I figured it was better to let him sleep.....

We are normally the first ones to the bus stop. There is another set of twins (1 st grade) and their dad who get there after us. I think he is a single dad, from observatons and things that he has said. No mention ever of a mom. There is another girl in Maggie and Cassie's class who has started getting the bus at our stop. The mom drives her and sometimes the grandmother walks up (she lives right near us).

So anyhow, we were running late and got there a few minutes before the bus. The other twins were running late and as the bus pulled up I could see them come running from around the corner. As the kids were running to the bus, with the dad walking behind, the little girls grandmother turns to me and says "That is the difference between a mom getting ready and a dad."

:::shakes head::::

I told her, I think he is a single dad..... "Oh" she says, "god bless him then." ?!?

Nate and I left shortly after that, the bus had pulled away and he isn't feeling well. In my head, I am like, 'Listen lady, how dare you judge! I was running late today, and I am the mom. Did you have a snappy comment for your daughter about us? I am sure you could hear Nate crying as we approached the bus stop. Sometimes Lino is able to get all 3 of the kids ready faster than I can. Sometimes not. You have been coming to this stop for what, 4 days, and you are judging a guy you don't know, because they are running a bit late today? '

Ticked me off. I mean, we all run late sometimes. And when you have more than one kid that you are trying to get ready, it can make it a bit tougher. The other twins are always on the bus, and always give their dad a big hug/kiss/ I love you Dad before they go. Don't make a snap comment about Dads not being capable........

And is she judging me on stuff? If she is, I hope she keeps quiet about it, at least to me.......

rrgg.

Flu shots, Bribes, and a PSA

The kids got their flu shots today. I fully expected it to be loud, with tears and crying and screaming. When the girls had their 5 year old checkup, Cassie had the biggest tantrum I have ever seen when she was getting her shots. I was mortified. She was kicking and screaming, literally...I had to physically hold her down.

Well, today I let them know this morning that we had to go after school. They were not thrilled at all. Started to get whiney. When they got home from school Maggie and Cassie informed me that they didn't want to go. Nate told me he didn't have the flu. Sorry kiddos, you still need the shots. If I could get one today, I would too.

I will admit, I have been known to on occasion bribe my children to do what I need to do. Today was one of those days. I told them that if they did well at the doctors (no major meltdowns, etc) then they could have doughnut holes afterwards. Whoever didn't do well-no doughnuts.

They did a great job. Maggie went first. Rolled up her sleeve without hesitation. She started singing the song they learned in school as a distraction, and didn't even notice when she got the shot.

At this point, Nate was starting to cry and Cassie moved behind a chair. I convinced Cassie to go next, as I wasn't sure how long Nate would cry after his shot. Surprisingly, she went next without too much protest. She decided to sing, too, though she definitely noticed when she got the shot. But, no tears, and that was amazing.

Nate was still crying, so I picked him up and held him for his. He stopped crying by the time we left the exam room.

All in all, it went pretty well. And all three got doughnut holes!

~~~~~

A Public Service Announcement about Turn Signals.

I think that I was the only one on the road today to use my turn signals. I know that all the cars have them, it isn't an option. Come on people, use them! They are designed so you don't even have to look for them, or move your hands off the steering wheel! Don't expect my psychic powers to kick in when you decide you want to be in my spot of my lane!

(I know I just used a bunch of exclamation points, but I think they were necessary)

Okay, mini rant done....

Hysterical

This set of pictures made Lino and I laugh out loud. Super funny stuff.

Register-or not....

You can still register--some states only until tomorrow. This election is so, so important.

Loss of a Legend

Very surprised to hear that Paul Newman has passed away. He was such a great actor. Best known in our house for voicing Doc Hudson, though I remember watching some of his movies growing up. My mom just loved him, thought he was so handsome (which he was, even as he grew older)

I can remember one Thanksgiving, my aunt and uncle used photographs as part of the nametags for the placesettings. My mom's was an up close picture of Paul Newman at one of the car races my uncle had been to. My mom was thrilled!

According to the wiki link, he reportedly had battled with lung cancer. :(

Cancer sucks.

Angry Chicken

Maggie drew this a couple of weeks ago. It is an angry chicken. Apparently, the chicken is yelling at the farmer riding in the airplane. The chicken is hungry, that is why he is yelling.

I just love the kids' artwork and their process.....

If it is Sunday, it is Football Day

I suppose that if the Patriots are going to lose a game this season, it is better that it is a game during regular season, and not one in the post season.

I can't believe how many times the Pats let the Dolphins score. I called my sister and asked her if this is how other teams fans feel all the time. But, it is just one game, and hopefully they will come back and be fired up next week.

I had a good computer day today. I finally figured out how to get a template on both my blog and my myspace. Yay. Considering I am not that computer code savvy, I think this is pretty good. I don't know that I love this template, but now that I know how to do it, it should be easy to switch.

Rrgh.

I am allergic to my watch band. I haven't worn a watch since after the girls were born. That was when I first suspected I was allergic to it. Well, with school starting, I figured it was important to be on time for the bus, so I dug out my watch and got a new battery for it.

Within a day I had a rash. So, I tried gluing a piece of ribbon on the inside. It only helps a little. Weird, since I had absolutely no issues before with it. Although, maybe it is the way the leather was dyed. Who knows. I suppose if I remember, the next time we are out I will get a new watch band.

***

I like to think that I am pretty good about recycling. I faithfully put in plastic bottles, cans, glass jars, etc. I recycle newspapers, magazines, junk mail, etc. Well, Lino and I were watching some show the other day and we learned that the plastic caps on bottles aren't recyclable. And, that if there are caps on the bottles, the people at the recycling place will just throw the whole thing out! Apparently it is too much work to sort and uncap everything, so if it has a cap on, it gets tossed. I had no idea, and prior to that I would estimate thta 85-90% of the plastic bottles I recycled had caps. Ooops.

***

I was trying to change the template of my blog and use a cute one from CutestBlogontheBlock. I can't get it to work. In the process, I deleted the settings that I had. Hate it when that happens.

****
I loved this commercial when I first saw it. I am totally stealing the idea of posting it from Dawn.
I can't figure out how to get the video directly to my blog. Click the link though, it is worth it. I think I figured out the embedding, though maybe not...

Boom-de-ah-dah!





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0

Monday Monday

WooHoo Patriots! It was a good game yesterday. They played the Jets (who have Brett Favre now) and without Tom Brady it did seem as though it was not going to be pretty.

Well, Matt Cassel did okay! It was his first start in a game since college...no pressure or anything....as Patriot Nation held its breath. The rest of the team did a great job. Favre got sacked more than once. Poor guy. Final score was 19-10, which brings the Pats to 2-0 for the season.

The girls came home from school today with homework! They have a homework folder and a chart that I need to sign off on. The teacher included a note explaining the grading system and expectations. I want the girls to get into a good routine with homework, so I let them unwind for aobut a half hour, then we shut the tv off and they did their work while I made lunch. The hardest part was keeping Nate from distracting them!

Friday...

The kids seem to be mostly over the cold. I am almost over it and Lino has it now. UGH. I don't like being sick. Luckily Lino had the day off yesterday, when I was feeling awful, so I was able to rest. Lino has tomorrow off, so maybe he can get some rest, too.

On Wednesday, Nate went to his very first music and movement class. I thought it would be cute for him, give him something different to do while the girls are in school. He did really well, he wasn't shy at all. He is the youngest of the kids, but I don't think that will matter. The man who taught it reminded me of one of my uncles. So, that will occupy our Wednesday mornings for the next 2 months.

Tonight the PTO is hosting Family Movie Night at the school. We will be watching Camp Rock. I hope Lino feels well enough to attend. Maggie and Cassie are very excited about it. They watched the movie a couple of weeks ago at my aunts house and liked it.

Have you been watching America's Got Talent this season? Lino and I watch. There are some very talented acts this year. I am really impressed by Eli Mattson . To listen to him sing and play the piano, it is breathtaking. It is as though you can see his soul while he sings. Really, really good. If he doesn't win, I really hope he gets a record deal.

Nate is particularly taken with a little girl who made it to the finals. She is 4 and sings. It is so funny, he will stop whatever he is doing to watch her. The other night he fell asleep early and missed it, so I kept it on DVR so he could watch.

Fevers, voting and football

Cassie is on the mend. Her temp has been pretty close to normal, she still has a cough though. She is back to her usual happy self, just with the cough. . Maggie never really got sick, just slightly elevated temp and that is it. I was fully expecting her to get the "spots" that she gets when a cold is in the house, but so far she is spot free. (The mysterious rash that the doctor always deems as just a "rash") Nate is currently in battling the fever stage. I think it peaked last night, though. He wasn't happy about getting medicine before bed. I hoped it would help him sleep better, but he was up around midnight wide awake.

I didn't sleep well as a result. But then woke up at 4:37 and woke Lino. I have no idea if the alarm did or didn't go off at 3:55.....I don't remember moving to shut it off (and I am still getting used to the buttons, so I really don't think it is my fault....) I feel bad, though. Lino hates getting up in a super rush for work.

No school for the kids today. It is primary day, so later on we will go for a walk to go vote. There are only 2 democrats running for mayor, so whoever wins today will be the mayor. They have run against each other before, each having won. I like some of the things the current mayor has done. Not a fan of some of his ideas for the future, though. The opponent was mayor before we moved here, though I am not sure what he has done.

Our across the street neighbor is running for town council. We might be inclined to vote for him if he would ever say hello. He occasionally will wave if we are outside, but he has never had a full on conversation with either Lino or I.

And football. I love football season! To quote one of the sports guys, the Patriots' 1 game losing streak is over. Yay. You probably could have heard the collective Patriot Nation stop breathing though, 7 minutes into the game......Brady is going to be out for the rest of the season. UGH. I hate watching knee injuries happen during games. They always look so painful.

I have faith, though, that the Patriots will be able to persevere and still go out and play the best football that they can, and win most of their games. The schedule seems to be an easy one, so we will see. (Although next week is Favre and the Jets) I think that Bill Belichek is a brilliant coach, and there is still an entire team consisting of some very, very good players. Wishing a good recovery for Brady.

Fighting a Fever

It is official. We went 7 days before one of the girls got sick. It doesn't surprise me, as they weren't really ever exposed to many germs.

Cassie has been battling a high fever (up to 102. something) , a stuffy and sometimes runny nose, a barky cough, sleepiness and just general blahs. She gets upset when we make her take tylenol. We tried the chewable/dissolvable ones, she says they taste funny. It was either those, or I have to hold her down to get the infant dropper in her mouth twice.

Maggie had an elevated temp, but nothing over 100. Nate took a sip of Cassie's orange juice before we could stop him this morning, so I am just waiting for him to get sick.

I just hope that it all passes before Monday....that way no school is missed.

*** A bit of info for the next part:

Ours is a no hitting household. We don't do hits/kicks/real bites/pinches, etc. It isn't nice. The only time that hitting, etc is allowed is if you are in danger. All 3 of the kids seem to grasp that concept, which is good.

Okay, a fly had gotten into the house yesterday afternoon. I wasn't able to get it. This morning, it was really beginning to tick me off, following me around, almost mocking me when I would miss it.

Well, I was finally able to get it. Old school style with the dishtowel snap. I even yelled "gotcha". Nate then told Lino that "Mama hitted the fly. Hitting isn't nice". To which Lino responded, "No, hitting isn't nice at all"

Thanks. After a few minutes of Nate telling me hitting isn't nice, Lino explained that it was okay to get the fly.

***
Tropical storm Hanna hasn't really been an issue for us. It is steamy and rainy but nothing truly bad. Which is good. I am ok with not losing electricity and having flooding and all of that.

***
The Patriots have their first game of the season tomorrow. Go team!! Have to get the kids used to Mama having football on the big tv on game day! They can watch their stuff in the family room!

Kids are cute.

After Nate and I returned from the bus stop this morning, he watched (for the 4th morning this week) Backyardigans Mighty Knights while I caught up on headlines.

At one point he came over to me and we were talking and this is how it ended:

Me: "Okay, buddy, Mama has to go do some chores and make my list"

Nate: (in a small whisper) "For Santa?"

He cracks me up. I wish it was a Santa list. Just a to do list. Then he was all "I just kidding Mama"

Maggie and Cassie had another good day at school. I had been wondering how long we would go before any sickie germs came home. We have been pretty lucky, they are 5 and very rarely get sick. (knock on wood) Well we are at the end of week 2, and Cassie has a very barky cough and a slightly elevated (for her) temp. I still had her go this morning (was that bad? I didn't think she was bad enough to not go.) It isn't a constant cough, but she coughed once in bed and once while getting ready. I am just glad that it is the weekend so she can rest up. I added another gallon of orange juice to my grocery list, though. Every little bit in the germ fight helps.

PTO and a Brave Moment

I attended my very first PTO meeting last night. Lino stayed home with the kids, I wasn't sure how long the meeting would be and I didn't want the girls up too late on a school night. (I got home 1 1/2 hours after their bedtime!) He wants to be involved too, which is great. Next month we will all go (they have highschool kids earning service hours by watching the little kids) and if it runs late, one of us will leave early. The school is within walking distance from the house, so no problems.

I really enjoyed the meeting. The women that are on the board are very nice, very funny, and all about improving the school for the kids. There is a book fair coming up that I will help out with. (I can't wait....I love book fairs!) They are also looking for ways to raise money to get new books for the school library....apparently some of the books have pages that fall right out! I have such a passion for children's books. My mom was a book person....we were raised with books and a love of reading. I plan to be very involved with all things library/book related!


Lino had some great ideas that expanded on what one of the women thought of, so she is excited for his help too. He is such a great salesperson, and is able to see things from a business' perspective, so I think if they listen to his ideas (let him/us help organize it) I think we will be able to accomplish a lot!

One of the things that the PTO is doing at the school is family movie night. Through the boxtops program, they raised enough money to buy movie equipment and a license to show a movie once a month for the families at the school. Popcorn is included, bring our own beverages. When I asked about the oil that the popcorn will be made with, they had no issue at all with checking (they emailed me last night) and will even put a note on the flyer about food allergies for those who bring their own snacks. It is nice to not have to battle to have people understand.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a different note: isn't it amazing how being a parent makes you brave? Before I had children, I would call Lino at work if I discovered a spider or a bug bigger than an ant. Seriously, they freak me out and I cannot stand bugs. At all.

However, not wanting to pass along my fear to the kids, if they are around when I find one, I only freak out on the inside. Last summer, I got a jar for Lino to put the cricket in (ick ick ick...it was in my house!) and we had a lesson about it. We learned from wikipedia that it was a girl, and depending on what culture it was either good luck or bad luck. (That day it was good luck!)

Today, Nate and I discovered a pretty big spider in a bucket in our breezeway. (EWWWW!) However, rather than have a freakout, I showed Nate and took pictures instead. Then quickly released it into the bushes in our front yard. (Near the street, not the house) Before kids I would have drowned the spider in whatever cleaning product I could reach and then put the whole bucket in the trash!

Alarm clocks.

We recently bought a new alarm clock. It is a bit high tech, in that it has 2 alarm settings, each with their own off button. The snooze feature can be activated by pushing a button, or by merely putting your hand in front of the clock.

It makes me nervous.

Why would an alarm clock make anyone nervous? Well, the clock is kept on my nightstand. Apparently I have ninja like reflexes when it comes to shutting off alarm clocks So quick, that Lino doesn't even hear the alarm. Which is bad, since he is the one who gets up with it! With the old clock, after I hit snooze, I would just keep my hand right over the button while falling back to sleep, continuing to push snooze until Lino got up. There have been occasions where he has gotten up late due to my ninja like skills.

I can't keep my hand near the new clock, I am afraid it won't go off at all! The two alarms is a nice feature, though I haven't needed mine yet. Lino is up for work before the girls need to get up, so I don't really fall back to sleep.

We'll see how it goes.

Long weekend over, back to school

Maggie and Cassie had a 3 day weekend. Back to school today. Cassie got upset that she couldn't bring her stuffed kitty with her. It was quite a process, actually trying to get her to stop crying. I hope that she is okay in class.

Lino went back to work today, so it was just me getting us all ready to go. We did fine. Made it to the bus stop early, but not too early. Maggie and Cassie were the only kids there today. We have seen some other kids, another set of twins (first grade) and an older girl (4th or 5th grade), but they haven't been there everyday, and when they do take the bus, they appear just as the bus is arriving.

Successful first week of school!

Maggie and Cassie are having a very good time at school. The first day went well, I didn't cry like I thought I would (I didn't want to upset them, so held it in)

We told Nate that we would take him to the donut shop after we saw the girls get settled. He was totally fine. Donuts make everything better.

We drove to the bus stop the first day. Lino, Nate and I drove up to the school to see them settled in. I nearly lost it when they told me they aren't babies anymore. Sniff. They will always be my babies.

Getting on the bus:

Lockers for their stuff:

Coming home!!!!! I was so excited to see them. There was just a slight small glitch with drop off, but Lino called the bus company to clarify things and it is taken care of now.

So, we all did fine. Maggie had a bit of a sad the first day, but the teacher helped her through it. It is a huge adjustment for all of us, but a good one!

Biting my tongue...

I can get pretty worked up over things that I feel strongly about. I am biting my tongue and not posting a reply to something I read on a forum I visit.


This is what was posted:

I'm starting my new job today! After three years of being a stay at home mom, I am so excited to be able to get out of the house and be me (Selfish, I know). At the same time, I haven't had a "real job" for three years, and that makes me nervous as all get out! I have no experience in this line of work, and I hope I'm not too overwhelmed. I heard today will be quite busy/stressful. Here I go! Wish me luck!

I do want to wish her well at her new job. However, being a stay at home mom is a real job! It bothers me when people say it isn't. It is work--hard work. All day and all night, 7 days a week. The rewards are superb, however, and I feel very fortunate and blessed that I have been home with my children.

So, rather than wish her well (and potentially type something that could be read wrong), I just didn't post anything. And am posting it here instead.

Tooth fairy and random stuff

Maggie lost her 2nd tooth the other day. (On the bottom, center right) Her big girl tooth had popped up behind it, just like the first lost tooth. It was starting to get really wiggly and when I checked it on Wednesday, it pulled right out! She was so excited.

The tooth fairy leaves small prizes, instead of money. Isn't it amazing that the tooth fairy brought her new purple playdoh, just like she wanted? Such a smart tooth fairy.

******
The Kindergarten playdate went well. Maggie and Cassie had a great time playing with the other kids. Nate had fun climbing. Cassie was super excited to see the friend that we know there. They played really well together.

At one point, I was walking around the play structure to help Nate, and I hear a boy "He won't be my friend" The mom responds with, "Let go of him, he'll be your friend". The bigger boy had the other kid in a headlock! Mom didn't seem terribly concerned. I think he (bigger boy) is in the morning session with Maggie and Cassie. I certainly hope he calms down in school....

Maggie and a little boy played together quite a bit. When we got home, Maggie and Lino were walking down the hallway, and all of a sudden Lino says "WHAT??!" Apparently the little boy told Maggie that she was his girlfriend, and when they get bigger they have to be mean to each other. Oy.

My girls have no idea about boyfriends/girlfriends, so I just told her that yes, she was his friend and she is a girl.

Lino is ready to start a D.A.D.D's club. Dad's Against Daughter's Dating. He thinks that the dads' could register the boys, after they pass a regimen of tests and things, and then they would be allowed to date the daughters.

*******

I have been staying up way too late, trying to watch the Olympics. I had to read about the mens beach volleyball this morning. I just couldn't watch the end, I was so sleepy.

I was so excited for Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor. They looked awesome. They haven't lost a match in over a year! Can you imagine? How come at career day in High School, noone talked about Beach Volleyball? I would have loved that.

******
Football season starts soon. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any preseason games due to the Olympics.

::sarcasm ahead::

I love how the NFL seems to have forgotten and banished the Patriots from primetime opening weekend games. They went the entire season winning, and sure, they lost the Superbowl, but they still were amazing. I am pretty sure that the NFL saw some increased ratings as people tuned in to watch the Pats. They aren't in any of the Primtime slots. Really? Your wonder team suddenly isn't good enough? Come on.

****
So less than a week to go. Maggie and Cassie are very excited to start. I asked that they be in the same class. Between the allergy and never having been separated, I thought it would be better.

Kindergarten orientation

Today was orientation day for Maggie and Cassie. Lino was able to switch his schedule for work so he had the morning off and attended also.

The teacher seems very nice. Maggie and Cassie each made a drawing for her, and she listened when they gave them to her, which is good. The classroom seems very fun, lots of bright colors and things to do. As it turns out, a friend of a friend is going to be in their class, so they already know someone!

As part of the welcome packet there was a brief mention of snacks needing to be peanut free, and the nurse touched on reading labels to know what is safe. I need to remind them that Cassie has a tree nut allergy, too, so some snacks (like the suggested granola) may not be safe.... I spoke with the nurse briefly afterwards, and she seemed to brush off my concern, but she also may have been in a hurry. I will have to see when I drop off Cassie's epipen and benedryl.

After the classroom part, the kids were lined up to walk to the bus, where they got a quick ride. Nate seemed very sad that they were going. He knows that they are going to school, but I don't think he understands exactly what that is. Lino mentioned that he thinks (and I agree) that Nate is going to have a hard time adjusting to his bestest buddies leaving every day!

While we were waiting for the bus to come back, we were chatting with the principal. She recognized the girls' names and remembered Cassie's allergy. As it turns out, the principal carries an epipen for a bee sting allergy. So she understands!! My migraine that I had last night/this morning may have been caused by my anxiety over the start of school and worry that Cassie's allergy won't be taken seriously. I felt better after my chat with the principal, though. She said that all the parents comply and are careful. It doesn't mean the worry is gone, but it helps.

There was paperwork to be filled out for volunteering, and as I checked off all of the things that I would be interested in helping with, Lino said to add his name to the paper, too; he wants to volunteer.. There were quite a few dads at orientation, which I thought was nice.

So next is a play date for the kindergarten kids, tomorrow night. Then, the following Wednesday is the big day!!! The principal said that we could put the kids on the bus and drive to school to see them off (so we will most definitely be part of the parade behind the bus!)

Playing catch up

Wow, it is almost halfway through August. Where does the time go?


Lino was on vacation for the first week. We had plans to finish scraping/painting the house. It rained pretty much the whole week.

We did a bunch of errands, put up Nate's bedroom furniture, converted Maggie and Cassie's beds into bunk beds. I still have to get pictures of their rooms. Maybe later today.


We took the kids bowling. Very fun. Although, we did have to remind them that real bowling is different than Wii bowling. They did really well, though. It was cute. There were only a couple of balls that went the wrong direction. Maggie and Cassie tried really hard to roll the balls the right way. Nate would kind of drop/push his and then turn right around and run back to the seats to watch.


Unlike when we went mini-golfing, I brought the camera. I was playing with settings, though, so not all of the shots were fabulous.




Finding balls that they could pick up (6 lbs)




Maggie:

Cassie:



Nate:

Watching.